I do not in any way, shape, or form lay claim to either of these works.
This is just a work of admiration from one fan, to those others that share the same interest.
The only characters or places I lay claim to are those solely of my own creation.
Time and Time again, Book 2.
Time waits for no one.
Chapter 1: Putting down new roots.
Saturday, September 24th 2095. 5:25 PM.
Narita International Airport.
Tanya and Visha walked besides each other, each a pace behind and to the side of Dr. Yoshiko Nishina. The two young ladies each had a suitcase being pulled behind them, and a backpack slung over one shoulder. They had decided that this was really all they needed to bring with them, the rest they would get locally. It had always been easier to change locations if you didn't each have a trailer of things to drag along. It was a mentality that had stuck with them from their time in the military, and had almost certainly helped to shape them.
Each of the young ladies instinctively swept the area that they passed thorough, each one trusting the other to cover their side. If Doctor Nishina noticed, she didn't feel the need to comment on it. Currently, she was the only person in Japan to know the secret of the young ladies, and she had every intention of making sure that it stayed that way as long as possible. As magicians, they would never be allowed to live a normal life like those that were not gifted like them, but she would do her best to make sure that they had at least one safe haven. The house that she had acquired should be perfect for all three of them. She honestly looked forward to seeing what the young ladies thought of their new residence. It was a shame that they would not have more time to settle in, but the sooner they could take the assessment tests at First High, the better for all of them.
Honestly, even if she had been more than happy to be entrusted with the pair of temporal refugees, the thought of having to try and keep these two out of any incidental mayhem made her tired like she hadn't been in years.
Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as she expected. At least she had been smart enough to make sure that the arrangement of rooms should be satisfactory for all of them. Also, there was the fact that she didn't have to worry about either of them ending up pregnant. That would be a fun thing to try to explain to Doctor Schugel. Doctor Nishina sighed and shook her head as they exited the terminal building and the car that would take them home pulled up in front of them.
Tanya and Visha shared a look as Tanya stepped forward to stand by the door while Visha slipped into the front seat. Dr. Nishina shook her head as she sat in the back, and Tanya loaded their luggage in the trunk before she sat next to Dr. Nishina.
"I'm surprised that you didn't have our dear Visha take care of that, Tanya." Doctor Nishina said as she regarded the diminutive blonde.
Visha was the one that answered her statement as she twisted in her seat to look at Dr. Nishina. "That would be because Tanya is one of the best close combat fighters from the war, and if something had been wrong with the situation, she could take care of things. It's how we do things, when we don't have to worry about all the little rules of protocol."
Dr. Nishina chuckled softly and nodded as she looked out the window at the city as they drove. "I can't wait to hear your first impressions of Tokyo, and Japan as a whole."
Visha and Tanya exchanged a look,and Tanya looked away as she felt herself flush a bit. It felt strange to have shared her secret with someone else. Strange, but oddly comforting. The relationship between her and Visha seemed more… Intimate now, more real and meaningful.
Honestly, Tanya felt somewhat overwhelmed. This was the first time in two lives that she had felt like this, that another person had mattered so much to her. If she had not had proof that it seemed to make her a better person, a more competent commander,then she might question the value of these feelings.
To be honest, she really did not want to examine them anymore than she had to.
Visha sat back in her seat and shifted until she could see Tanya in a reflection. It might not be the best view of her former commander and current girlfriend, but it served to ease the tension of this sudden move to another country. Ever since Tanya had revealed, well, everything, they had become closer. More… Intimate. They still teetered on the edge of anything.. More… But Visha couldn't help but feel that it was more a matter of when, over if. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that, but the liquid heat in her core told her that her body was not against the idea. Perhaps she worried that, even at this late date, such an act might somehow change them. Change their relationship in ways that she was not entirely prepared for.
One thing was certain, the odds of Tanya making that first move were not good. As decisive and forceful as Tanya was in war, she seemed almost meek and hesitant in matters of the heart. Perhaps it had something to do with her having been a man in her past life? Honestly, it didn't matter to Visha. Tanya was the only woman, much less person, that she had ever been attracted to. She was sure it had less to do with the body, and more to do with the soul and mind that dwelled within it.
Now if she could just get Tanya to see that, as well. That who she was before didn't matter at all to her. That no matter what, she would continue to love her. No matter what she learned or saw of Tanya, it would only draw her even closer to her.
Saturday, September 24th 2095. 6:35 PM.
Doctor Yoshiko Nishina's residence.
Dr. Yoshiko Nishina followed the instructions of her cautious young wards as she waited in the vehicle for Visha to perform a quick sweep of the house while Tanya loitered outside of the car. She had noticed that Visha had her folding entrenching tool in hand as she entered the house,while Tanya almost certainly had at least her magic at the ready, and probably a gun concealed somewhere on her person. As much as the doctor appreciated the care that the two young ladies showed her, she wanted them to realize that she was capable of taking care of herself.
For now, she would let them do as they wished, since in some way it eased their minds to stick to these routines.
Dr. Nishina looked over the house as they received the all clear symbol from Visha. It was a modern two-story house with a small walled yard that surrounded the house. It had not been easy to secure a place like this relatively near First High, but it was what had been necessary for the sake of the mission.
And it reminded her of the home that she had grown up in, when she had been young. So many people expected that she had grown up in one of the truly old-fashioned homes, but that was not the case. Her parents had been mages, yes, as was expected of anyone that was themselves a mage of any value. They had been mages of middling talent, though. That was one of the reasons she had gone into the field of study that she had, and that had attracted the attention of the Project in the first case. They had wanted her theoretical knowledge and understanding of various styles of magic from her extensive research.
Little did she know when she had joined the Project all those years ago that she would one day be taking care of two of the biggest secrets that Germany would ever produce. Of course, the existence of the two misplaced mages was kept a secret from all but the highest ranked officials, and even then the origins of the two were known to even fewer outside of the closed ranks of the Project.
Dr. Nishina shook her head as she led the two of them on a tour of the house, and watched their reactions with more than a trace of amusement when she showed them the rooms they had at the far side of the house from her own room, and pointed out that the two rooms shared a bathroom in a jack and jill arrangement.
She, of course, knew of their nighttime forays into the other person's room, and had a good idea of how far that their relationship had progressed. Even if it did somewhat annoy the detached Dr. Schugel, she was sure that the bond between the two becoming ever tighter and closer would only serve to make them better at their jobs, and easier to corral if either one went off the reservation.
Dr. Nishina led the two young ladies downstairs and to the dining room where she sat at the table and looked at the pair of them. "Tomorrow we will be heading to the school so that they can perform your placement tests. Now, remember that ideally we want you both in the course two classes, so that we can have you closer to our primary target. Also, it fits with the story that you both were involved in an accident related to magic, and that you are both currently undergoing rehabilitation in my home country, since until recently you were unable to use magic effectively. That said, if either of you do end up in Course One, then you will need to get as close as possible to the sister of our target. We need to ascertain if the pair of them are possibly displaced, as you two were."
"What assets do we have access to here?" Tanya asked in Japanese, since it has been decided that they would use that language whenever possible.
"We are mostly on our own. I had to use what resources I still had to make this all possible. We are going to be dependent on our own wits and capabilities, along with whatever aid the Project can provide remotely without direct involvement." Dr. Nishina said with a little shrug. "I trust in the capabilities you two have shown so far."
The pair shared a look, then Tanya looked at Dr. Nishina and nodded solemnly. "We will make sure that we carry out our duties to the best of our abilities." Tanya shrugged and smiled. "I honestly don't know if I would rather he be from our world, or just a very gifted mage in this one. It also raises the question of what will become of us if he is not, in fact, a displaced mage such as us. Will we stay in Japan if that is the case, or will we be called back to Germany and the Project?"
Dr. Nishina pausd and settled back in her chair a little. "Honestly, I don't know. That would depend on the good Doctor, I suppose. Her, and the ones above her. It is quite possible that they could call you back soon, or they might let you test and expand your abilities first. Honestly, sometimes I don't understand just where she gets her orders from."
Visha smiled and shrugged, then stretched in a way that caused Tanya's mind to blank out for a moment, especially when she found herself the target of one of Visha's potent smiles. "As long as we are together, I am sure that we will do okay." She paused for a moment, then rested a hand over her heart. "Is… this going to be a problem, though?"
Dr. Nishina shook her head. "It shouldn't be. The school knows that you have an artificial heart, but that is all. They don't need to know what it is, exactly. The Project is looking into resources in Japan that could be used to maintain it, if needed. Just as a backup, if you will. There is one company that we are looking into, but we will see."
The pair of young women shared a look, and nodded. They would trust in Dr. Nishina and do what they could. As long as they had each other, they were both sure that there was nothing that they could not handle. Dr. Nishina watched the silent interaction and hid her grin behind her tea cup.
"Dinner is on its way, I figured that tonight I would order something for us to eat. Afterwards, I have a few things to take care of before we send you to be tested tomorrow." Dr. Nishina paused as she took another drink. "So, once we are done eating, why don't you girls take your baths first?" Dr. Nishina grinned as both of the young ladies turned slowly red. This would be a quite interesting visit to her homeland.
Dr. Nishina had decided that she would decide on what they would have that night, and she might have decided to be a little selfish. With what she had gone through to make all of this happen, she felt like it was more than a little justified. So, when the delivery person arrived, she happily accepted okonomiyaki from them and laid out the spread on the table for the three women to enjoy. It was a flavor that she had to admit she had missed while in Germany. She had never found a place that served it that was decent, and some of the ingredients just were not readily available at the stores she had frequented in Berlin.
It brought back fond memories of simpler days for the older Japanese woman, and she enjoyed watching the two young ladies, and smiled a rueful little smile. It was like getting a glimpse back to before she joined the Project, back when she had been a much simpler and humbler person.
When they had finished eating and the girls had cleaned up, the Doctor bid them a good night and watched them with an amused little gleam in her eyes as the pair very pointedly tried to not look at each other as they turned red once again as she told them to enjoy the bath, and that she would probably be busy for some time, so they could take their time.
Young love was always so cute, and with those two they were still new enough to each other in this new facet of their lives to be amusingly awkward with each other in intimate matters.
Dr. Yoshiko Nishina smiled and turned her attention to the last of the paperwork for the coming week, and to her report that she would send by secur channels to the Project.
It was certainly going to be most entertaining, and probably more than a little dangerous if what had happened since the two young ladies had come into their lives was any indication, but it was worth it to see her theories bearing fruit as they had since she had started to work with Tanya. Now, if she could just survive the chaos that the two of them were sure to bring along in their wake, that would be an almost ideal outcome. One day at a time, she thought to herself as she turned her attention to the paperwork once more.
Tanya glanced at her companion covertly as the two of them made their way from their rooms to the bath on the main floor. She had to admit, the idea of being able to enjoy a Japanese-style bath again was more than a bit enticing, she just didn't know why her heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest. It was not like she had not seen Visha in every state of dress and undress imaginable over the years, well before they had started dating, or even admitted that they might have those sort of feelings towards each other. But, the idea of being able to sit in a bath with her, and doing it so openly? That seemed to be the trigger for the current state she found herself in.
Visha was well aware of the looks that she had received from Tanya, mostly because she had been casting similar ones whenever she knew that her former commander was not looking. It was all so strange still. Strange, yet oddly comforting. No matter how much they had changed, how much their situations had changed, the fact that they were still so aware of the other in so many little ways made her think that perhaps they had not changed as much as it seemed. It was a strange little thought, but it made things seem somewhat more manageable to her. She knew that if her new heart had been capable of it, it would be beating like a drum right now. Perhaps that was the one good thing to come out of this, at least she would not have to worry about Tanya somehow hearing her heart thumping away in her chest. That would be mortifying, in its own way.
When the two young women had finished undressing, Visha gathered her courage and smiled at Tanya as she took a few quick, steady strides towards the inner door. "I'm going to go on ahead." She said in a much more confident tone than she felt, and smiled as Tanya seemed to be drawn along behind her. Visha eyed the inner area, then walked over and placed her towel carefully on a bench before she sat on the little stool by the shower head, and looked at Tanya. "Will you wash my back?"
Tanya stopped dead in her tracks, and swallowed heavily before she put on a serious face and nodded before she applied herself to the task. Slowly, the tension seemed to melt from the two, until both bore a soft, if bashful smile as Visha returned the favor before the pair made their way into the bath. Visha and Tanya exchanged a look before Visha laughed and stepped into the bath first, and settled in before Tanya moved to sit in front of her. As the older of the two of them settled her arms around the diminutive blonde, they both let out a contented sigh and basked in the heat of the water, and the comfort that they had found in the other.
Tanya stiffened as Visha leaned in and whispered softly in her ear. "Thank you, Tanya. I… Hope I am not being too forward…. But, can I request some emotional support tonight?"
Tanya froze for a moment, then nodded and settled back in the warm embrace of her girlfriend. 'Honestly…' she thought to herself, 'this woman is going to be the death of me…. Again.'